As I listen to the usual gaggle of effete lefties and neo-cons mumble that citizens and local authorities shouldn't be involved in immigration control, I think about how far we've fallen from many of the guiding principles and mores that once made this nation so great, and what it will mean for our future if our social fabric gets even more threadbare than it is now. Chaos awaits, unless things change.

What has made America great is that we have (or maybe we once had and should now revive) a national ethos based on various bedrock principles--call them Traditional Americanism--that began with the belief that the ordinary, law-abiding citizen is the backbone of this nation.

Once, when millions of ordinary, law-abiding citizens philosophically linked arms with all other law-abiding citizens, we became an unbreakable chain with no weak links. Each individual just did his or her small part. Each of us played by the same rules. We all seemed to follow a sort of secularized Golden Rule and just did the right things, because they were the right things to do. The cumulative effect of all this added up to a strong and just society. We just knew that the link to our left and the link to our right would remain as strong as we were. They wouldn't let us down and we wouldn't let them down. We'd do our part and they'd do theirs. Things as seemingly minor as seeing people waiting at a crosswalk when the sign said to wait and only crossing when it said to cross were important indicators that the social fabric was sound. We all could have had an advantage by not obeying the light and rushing across the street against it, but few of us did this. It wasn't playing by the rules.

And, I use the crosswalk example purposely. If you've been to any city with large numbers of illegal aliens--and I wonder if we have any cities still remaining without large numbers of illegal aliens--you'll quickly realize that not only did the illegal aliens not obey the law with regards to our border, millions also have a contempt for our other laws--and, dare I say it?--the American Way--including not walking when you're not supposed to.

These bedrock principles, of which I speak, became part of the zeitgeist of our nation. Of course, there are more than two principles, but I'm only going to talk about the two that I think need to be especially remembered as we discuss the role of citizens in enforcing our laws and particularly with regard to those laws relating to illegal immigration.

But first, I have to point a finger at President Bush. He's the guy who is supposed to set the moral tone for our nation and ensure that our laws are upheld. Unfortunately, he's AWOL. And, it should be clear to most citizens that this is probably partly because this preppie-in-chief was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and just doesn't relate to ordinary citizens or real world problems. Most of us went to ordinary high schools. Not Bush. He went to one of the most prestigious private boarding prep schools in the nation. He wasn't a great scholar, but that didn't keep him out of Yale (thanks to a Daddy Pass), and Harvard. Isn't it clear that Bush's world is different from the world of ordinary citizens? Isn't it obvious that he doesn't get it? And, I would add that Bush never will get it. The twig was bent early and will never straighten up again. Bush is perpetually out of touch with real Americans and has no real connection with us. If this were England, ordinary citizens would probably be calling him a twit. While we wait for the pedestrian light to change to "cross," Bush looks the other way and lets illegal aliens by the millions cross with no penalty.

Bush is also the reason why the GOP may face some big defeats in the November election. Bush has cast a negative halo effect over most of the Republican party. This character who likes to fantasize that he's a cowboy--an American archetype that embodies the two principles I'll get to in a moment, had the nerve to call American citizens, who are doing the job that he refuses to do, vigilantes.

His administration also constantly sides with Mexico against American citizens and especially the good, decent ranchers (real ranchers, not make believe ones like Bush) who are seeing their ranches destroyed by illegal aliens. Let a rancher try to defend his property against trespassing illegal aliens and it's the rancher who is likely to get in trouble, while the trespassers are seen as the victims and the Bush administration does nothing to help the rancher. Of course, Bush doesn't have that problem on his ranch. It's well guarded. No illegal aliens stomping across his land. Bush's ranch? He's so out of touch, that it wouldn't surprise me if someone said he raises caviar.

Bottom line: Bush could stop illegal immigration in a heartbeat if he wanted to do so. He doesn't.

What are these two basic principles of traditional Americanism that I mentioned above, and how can they help us think clearly about our situation?

1). SELF-RELIANCE: Our nation was built on self-reliance. This means that one should take care of oneself and should fix things right then and there instead of waiting for others to fix them.

Those who still believe in this principle (and they're a vanishing breed as Bush swamps this land with those who don't believe in this principle) will often do everything in their power to not accept charity, and to take care of their families without the help of others. They do their part in linking their arms with others. They hold up their end of the bargain. When they work, they do the best job they can and they take pride in doing it right. They don't look for unfair advantages in their dealings with others. They are people of their word. They don't look to the government to take care of them as though they're little children. They're fully adult and take care of themselves and theirs.

Translate this into our talk of illegal immigration and this principle means that every citizen has to do his or her part to enforce our borders and every citizen has to let local elected officials know that they expect these elected officials to do their part in this.

In other words, those who believe in self-reliance say that we shouldn't just wait for the Feds to catch illegal aliens because."blah, blah, blah immigration is a Federal law blah, blah, blah," anymore than we should wait for the Feds to catch bank robbers and kidnappers because those involve Federal laws. If you have a local problem, solve it locally. That's the American Way.

Illegal immigration is now a local problem. It's a problem in every town and city in this nation. There shouldn't be any home-free-zone in this nation that allow illegal aliens to sneak into this country and then reach a city or town where they give citizens the bird and say no one can tag them because they've reached a sanctuary. That's baloney. Their crime of breaking into this country is analogous to trespassing. A trespass isn't over once one crosses a property line into the property itself. The trespass continues so long as the trespasser remains over that line. This isn't a kid's game except to the elites who want to flood this nation with illegal aliens.

2). PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: You can always delegate your authority, but you can never delegate your responsibility.

Modern societies require that we have a division of labor. We work at, say, plumbing, and our neighbor works at making shoes which we buy from him. We have thus delegated some of our authority to make shoes for ourselves to the shoemaker and he has delegated some of his authority to fix his plumbing to us. But, what if he refuses to sell us shoes or if we refuse to fix his plumbing? Should we remain shoeless? Should his toilets remain stopped up? Remember, we are still responsible to shod our own feet and he's still responsible for his own plumbing. If the shoemaker refuses to sell us shoes, we'd better figure out how to make our own or find another shoemaker. We're responsible for our own feet. The same thing goes with him and his plumbing.

The same principle applies as we get into more abstract areas of society. For example, we have delegated certain of our authority to the police to keep people from breaking into our homes and killing us. But, suppose the police are busy or don't want to do what we've given them the authority to do? Who is responsible for our personal safety? We are. If our homes are being broken into, should we just sit there and wait for the police to arrive or should we act to protect ourselves? Shall our gravestones read: "They didn't do anything to protect themselves because they said that was the job of the police"?

You obviously see where I'm going with this.

Illegal immigration has now turned the U.S. into a lawless nation. It has become a place of wink and nod, just like Mexico. Those who benefit from having a large population of illegal aliens in this country are often the moral pals of George Bush or at least share the same type of country clubs and lifestyle. They are trying to swamp this nation with a permanent vassal like underclass that benefits the rich, but which harms ordinary American citizens.

Bush is so out of touch, that when he says that illegal aliens will do jobs Americans won't do, he probably believes it. But, most of us know that the Americans Bush is talking about are his fellow elites. We also know that illegal aliens who do not play by the rules, will do jobs at low wages in order to undercut American citizens who do play by the rules. It's that social fabric and linked arms thing again.

It seems to be a common misperception among silver spoon dandies that American citizens are lazy and don't like to work because they, themselves, are lazy and don't like to work. They think their personal dislike for physical labor is the norm and that most other Americans also look down their noses at such labor. They think that all American men get their hair styled and their nails manicured just as they do. They don't get it. They are not of the people and they are not from the people. The fact of their pampered lives gives voice to the reality that despite protestations to the contrary from their neo-con radio and TV talk show shills, we have classes in this nation. And right now, the three major classes are the elite upper class, the middle class citizens, the illegal aliens.

And, the elite upper class to which Bush and his fou fou pals belong, looks with contempt at the middle class to which most ordinary Americans belong. This should be clear to anyone who has taken a hard look at what Bush is doing to this nation. He and his pals are leapfrogging right over the middle class and praising the illegal alien class as the backbone of America. You know you've heard Bush and the elites say this.

Where we find ourselves now, in this nation's history, is at a place where the elites such as Bush have created a self-perpetuating symbiosis that benefits illegal aliens and the elites. This symbiosis--this machine of ultimate destruction of America--is dependent on a constant and renewable underclass. Illegal aliens fill the bill. They are the major cog in the machine of destruction. Remove them, and America starts on the road to becoming great once again as we start taking care of our own as though we once again understand that citizens always must come first and that illegal aliens are not citizens and should not be treated like citizens.

When you look at this symbiosis on a local level, you'll see many non-profits run by Bush's fellow elites who are making top salaries off their "compassion." And, they can keep making the big bucks so long as they keep finding more people who are willing to take the free services (which you and I pay for). Illegal aliens fill the bill.

You'll also see industrialists and big business making astounding profits because the labor part of their outlay is kept low by using cheap, often off the books, labor. Illegal aliens fill the bill.

Then you'll find the slumlords who can charge top rents for ratty apartments because their tenants will stuff themselves in like sardines and never complain. Illegal aliens fill the bill.

You'll see school districts that are paid per warm body at a student desk. Illegal aliens fill the bill.

Who gets the short end of the stick in this symbiosis? The good, decent citizens of this nation who see their quality of life falling and their nation fragmenting.

And, as far as Bush and his fellow elites go. Aren't they also hurt by the destruction of America? Don't be foolish. "Tah, tah, daaaahling, we're off in our private jets to our villas in Mexico or France or some other nation. Too bad you middle class saps are stuck there in the ruins of America and must hide in your homes because illegal alien criminals have taken over the country."

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THREE BOOKS BY HARD TO PIGEONHOLE H. MILLARD

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Ourselves Alone & Homeless Jack's Religion
messages of ennui and meaning in post-american america by H. Millard
In Ourselves Alone and Homeless Jack's Religion, H. Millard, the hard to pigeonhole author of The Outsider and Roaming the Wastelands, has put together some of his category bending commentaries on post-American America. The commentaries deal with politics, philosophy, free speech, genocide, religion and other topics in Millard's edgy style and lead up to Homeless Jack's Religion, in which Homeless Jack lays out revelations he found in a dumpster on skid row. Browse Before You BuyISBN: 0-595-32646-3